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Geo-Encryption: Global Copyright Defense?
An Anonymous Coward writes: "CIO Insight has a story on the copyright-protection scheme devised by Georgetown professor Dorothy Denning. Geo-encryption uses GPS technology to keep information scrambled until it reaches a precise location anywhere in the world. Denning has started a new company, GeoCodex, to capitalize on the technology." I can't wait for the Crypto-Gram article about this one..
Armed with Denning's geo-encryption system, which she co-patented in 1998, only people in specified locations, such as movie theaters, living rooms or corporate conference rooms, would be able to unscramble the data.
This is going to make playing with the hanger-antenna on top of the TV look like nothing. "Honey, I can't watch the movie until you bring it in the living room." What's worse though...
Medical records could be sent from a doctor in Peoria for a second opinion to a doctor in Manhattan--and all without the usual worries over privacy leaks to insurers or investigators along the way.
"But doctor, I thought I *was* a Region 1 patient."
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
Great, that means I can't listen to my music, DVDs, use my software when I am on holidays, on a business trip or at my second home?
they can come beat the information out of me?
How do you store the location in the media file in such a way that it can't be changed? And how do you prevent players from being manufactured that don't look at the location?
A better question would be 'how many things can really be encoded to be used in only on location'.
An even better one is 'how obviously on an article should the date 1st April be printed in order to trick the greatest amount of people'?
Someone stole your laptop? They're going to have to break into your house, steal a key to your room, and stand on your decryption square just to decrypt any of your files.
Not to pick holes in this theory, but this will also mean
'on the move with your laptop? You're going to have to go home and stand on a postage stamp to decrypt that file you've just been sent'
I can't think of anything stupider than an 'encryption square' in your room. But I'm not trying very hard.
"While holding the holy laptop, standing on the sacred square, on third full moon of the year, make three clockwise circles with the mouse, then the sygil of Baalshamabeebop."
ABORT, RESUMMON, INFERNAL DAMNATION?
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.